World's apart
by LauraCaitxx
Summary: 'Love fades, mine has.' After those four words Rose fled Court and made a new life for herself but what happens when 3 years later Court needs her help and she has to go back to all the people she left behind. Rose and Dimitri story but with many other friendships and relationships tossed in as well
1. chapter 1

_**Rose POV**_

The second I made it out of the church I let the tears fall. After all I had done, after everything I had sacrificed my life had lead me to those four words 'Love fades, mine has.' I started running towards the gym with the hope that beating up a dummy would make me feel better but a shout of my name made me stop and turn around.

"What the hell was that Rose!" Lissa said angrily. "How could you be so mean to Dimitri."

"Lissa please," I said quietly not having the energy to argue with her.

"No Rose, you listen to me," she said with her eyes narrowed, "If you aren't willing to leave Dimitri alone then I think you should go away for a bit. Go for a holiday in Texas or France or wherever for all I care and long as you're giving Dimitri the space he deserves to recover."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Not only did Dimitri hate me but now Lissa did too. That's when I decided that I would go away but it wouldn't be for a holiday, I wasn't coming back. As the tears fell harder I turned around and ran away from Lissa not wanting her to know how much her words broke me.

A few minutes later I ended up at Adrian's door. Adrian and I had decided to call it quits a bit over a month ago when we heard there was a chance to change Dimitri back. He didn't want me to have to choose between them and honestly it barely affected our relationship. He was one of my closest friends and I was definitely going to miss him.

"Hey Little Dhampir what's wrong?" he asked noticing my tear stained face.

I told him what had happened and he didn't hesitate in giving me a hug and offering me money to get away as long as I promised to stay in touch. He also decided he would drive me to the airport and together we started walking to his car. On the way we ran into Eddie and I couldn't have been more pleased for the chance to say goodbye to such a good friend.

"Rose! Are you okay? Mia saw everything and told me what happened," he said.

After I told him I was leaving he decided he was going to come with us to the airport and having the two of them with me helped me calm my fear of what I was going to do next.

When we got to the airport I couldn't help let out a few more tears as I said goodbye to my boys. I promised to stay in touch with both of them and in exchange they promised to tell no one where I was. I needed a new start.

As my plane lifted off I leaned my head on the window and watched as the ground faded away and as I flew into the sky I also flew into the unknown.

 _3 Years Later_

"Oi, get up Shortstuff we're going to be late," Sebastian's annoying voice interrupted my sleep.

"Go away," I groaned throwing a pillow at him before pulling the covers over my head.

"I'll buy you a donut," he replied with a knowing smile. My face lit up in a grin.

"Really?!" I asked as I jumped out of bed with energy I didn't even know I had.

He smirked at me, "Have I ever lied to you?"

"Have I ever told you you're my favorite?" I asked as I grabbed my clothes and headed for the bathroom

"Plenty of times," he replied with a wink, "But I never get tired of hearing it"

20 minutes later we walked into the DMPA with donuts and coffees in hand. The Dhampir Moroi Protection Agency (DMPA) is a secretive agency that keeps Dhampirs and Moroi from all over the world safe. When our sources detect a threat that we believe regular guardians won't be able to deal with, we take care of it. Whether it's a Moroi serial killer or a group of a 100 Strigoi we are the people that are called when it's an emergency that no one else is capable of stopping. The agency is so secretive that many people believe it is just a myth and unless you are one of the few who manages to become an agent, you will know next to nothing about how the place runs. 2 and a 1/2 years ago Sebastian and I went through the trials you have to undergo to get into the agency with nearly 100 other people. We were the only ones to get in.

"This is so good," I moaned as I bit into my donut, "How are you even single? You're charming, good looking and you buy people food that tastes like heaven."

"Aww you're always so flattering when you have a donut in your hand," Sebastian said with a smirk, "It's shame you're so bitchy every other time."

"Hey!" I said indignantly, "I may be mean to other people when they deserve it but I'm always nice to you."

"I'm kidding," he replied, "You know you're always going to my favorite although I have to say I think that part of the reason I'm single is because all the dashing young men I would consider dating think I'm dating you."

"Ahh well, it's not my fault I'm so loveable," I said with a shrug.

Sebastian sent me his usual smirk before we kept happily eating our donuts.

"Hey guys," Dan said as he sidled up next to me.

"Hey Dannyboy," I said feeling happy to see him until he did the worst possible thing... reached his hand out and tried to take some of my donut.

"Oi," I growled, "Don't even think about going anywhere near my donut or I'll cut off your little toy and give it to you for christmas."

Most people paled or quickly shuffled away when I delivered a threat but Dan being well used to them by now just rolled his eyes and accepted some of Sebastian's donut instead.

After we got accepted into the DMPA we were put through an extreme training program 12 hours a day, 6 days a week for 8 months. St Vladimirs Academy was nothing compared to the skills I gained through that program. After we qualified the training we were put into a squad of 6 people and they have become family to me. One of the members was Dan who was good looking, strong and a kick ass fighter. He is also a bit of a player but is fiercely protective of his friends and we loved competing with each other.

The second and third members were Macy and Leia. Macy was a lot like me in some ways. She was gorgeous, fiery, reckless and I could always count on her to get drunk and go dancing with me if I needed to blow off some steam. She was also fierce in battle and I always found myself feeling relieve that the target of her dual blades wasn't me. Leia on the other hand was the brains of the team. She was a talented fighter like every other agent but what made her a real asset was her genius in coming up with plans and not letting anyone do anything too stupid and dangerous unless absolutely necessary.

The fourth member was Matt who was one of the sweetest guys you could ever meet. He was my go to person for any kind of reassurance or emotional advice and I was overly protective of him. He doesn't enjoy fighting as much as the rest of us but will have no trouble shooting Strigoi from any distance making them easy kills for the rest of us.

Finally there was Sebastian who was my flat mate and my best friend. We are so close that 90% of the agents at work think we are in a serious relationship but the truth is that I'm still hung up on a certain someone from my past and Sebastian plays for the other team. We had become friends when I first got to Europe lost and upset and he had helped me out when I was attacked by some Strigoi. He had convinced me to apply for the DMPA and we had been inseparable ever since. I have trusted him with my life time and time again and the squad looked to us to lead them. We had all been together as a squad nearly 2 years now and I absolutely loved them each to pieces.

Before I could think of a snarky comment to combat Dan's eye roll Leia came running into our break room looking stressed.

"Guys stop whatever you're doing and come with me," she said in a rush, "I think something big has happened. There are lots of people arguing in the main meeting room and Fig has called for an emergency meeting with our squad."

"Shit," Sebastian said as we all jumped up and followed her out the door.

Joan Fig was the president of the DMPA and it was extremely rare for her to call an emergency meeting so there was no way we were going to be late. When we reached the Meeting Room 1 we found that she had kicked everyone out except for Matt and Macy who must've arrived just before us.

"What's going on?" I asked as we sat down at the large table.

"Something's happened," Fig replied, "This morning the Queen was found murdered in her bed."

"What!" I gasped, "How is that possible? She has 12 guards posted at her door every night."

"All 12 were found dead," she said looking grim, "The killer dragged all their bodies and left them in the closest cleaning cupboard."

"Oh Lord," Matt said looking slightly pale.

"The guardians don't have any idea who the killer is and we have reason to think that he will strike again. You're my best squad and I need you to stay in court for a while and catch the killer before anyone else gets hurts. I will also need you guys to try keep the peace because the place has gone to hell since the news of the Queen's death spread and the debates over who the next queen should be are getting heated."

Fig and the rest of my squad kept talking but I barely listened as I sat there in shock. The Queen was dead and now I was being sent back to the very place I fled 3 years ago. I was being sent back to him.

 **Hey guy this is going to be Romitri story with other ships thrown in there. I hope you guys enjoy and follow and leave reviews because it is HUGELY appreciated xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Rose PO** **V**

As I sat in my first class seat (The agency spares no expense when it comes to their agents) I had mixed feelings about the mission I was about to undertake. The actual mission itself was super dangerous and would be tough but that was normal for us and we were well trained to deal with it. The main problem I had was where the mission was. The only people in court who I had talked to since that fateful day 3 years ago was Eddie and Adrian and as ecstatic as I was to see them, it didn't outweigh the worry that was eating me up.

Lissa was one of the biggest people I was worried about seeing and I had no idea how it would go. I had been keeping track of her through the bond over the years and I knew that she was hurt that I had never come back but she also felt a large amount of guilt for the things she had said to me and for driving me away. I also knew she missed me but after all this time she didn't expect me to come back and I wasn't sure if she would be happy to see me.

Through all those emotions, however, the biggest thing on my mind was Dimitri. Honestly I wasn't sure if he would even speak to me during my stay. Adrian told me that after I left Dimitri took time out from being a guardian and searched for me. I thought that meant that maybe he did care about me after all but he easily could've just been doing it out of guilt or because Lissa told him to. I wasn't even sure if I had forgiven him for what he had said to me but thinking about it all was making my brain hurt.

"You going to be okay Love?" Sebastian's voice called out as I realised we were starting to descend. Sebastian knew my whole life story so he knew how worried I was about this trip but I think he was also secretly hoping to kick some Russian ass because of his protectiveness of me.

"Yeah I'll be okay, I just need to focus on the mission," I replied taking a deep breath.

As much as I wanted it to go slowly, time went by really quickly and in what felt like minutes we were standing outside the Court gates. There were a few guardians standing around and they tried to get us to provide identification but once they noticed the DMPA seal on our uniforms, their eyes widened and they let us pass.

Because of the chilly weather we had DMPA jackets on and I put my hood over my head in the hope that no one would notice me until I wanted them too. We heard the noise from the courtroom before we were even in the right corridor and by the time we reached the door all of us braced ourselves for whatever we would have to deal with beyond this door. I shared a look with Sebastian and together we pushed the door open... And nothing happened.

Inside the courtroom there were about 150 Moroi and Dhampir in the room all arguing amongst themselves. There was so much noise and fighting that our entrance went completely unnoticed. I remembered that part of our mission was to try bring some peace to Court and I knew we would have to do something about this. Putting our game faces on, my squad and I started to push through the crowd trying to make it towards the front when something made me freeze. At the left side of the court trying to separate two fighting Moroi was Dimitri. He looked exactly as I remembered him and half of me wanted to run up to him and hug him whether he wanted me to or not and the other half wanted to run away from court and never let this place hurt me again. It was only Macy yelling at me to catch up that brought me back to reality and I remembered the real reason I was here. There was a serial killer in our midst and I couldn't let myself be distracted.

Pushing my way to the front I could see Matt trying to get the attention of some people but he was having no luck. I decided to take matters into my own hands and with a giant leap that I learnt how to master in agent training, I jumped over the balcony onto the Judges bench. There was no microphone up there like I had hoped but I decided I didn't need one. I was already starting to get people's attention just by standing up higher than anyone else was and I took my chances with the rest.

"My name is Rose Hathaway and I'm going to need you all to shut the hell up!" I screamed as I pushed back my hood.

For once my loudness worked for good because every single person stopped talking and turned their heads towards me with a look of shock on their faces. A lot of them definitely recognised me from last time I was here.

"Thankyou," I said breathing a sigh of relief, "Now listen up. I am here from the DMPA."

There were a few whispers here and there after that last bit but I ignored them and continued on.

"My squad and I are here to keep you safe. We are going to be in charge around here and things are going to change but let me reassure you that this is not permanent. Our job is to find the murderer of our late queen and stop them before any harm comes to any of you. At a time like this you can't all fight amongst yourselves, you need to unify together and look out for each other and we are going to keep the peace as best you can. We have been sent here with the priority of keeping everyone safe so until Tatianas killer has been caught, everyone is going to help us out by doing what we say at all times. Has anyone got a problem with that?" I finished determinedly. I was being harsh but it was crucial that these people listen to us so that they wouldn't get hurt.

When no one questioned our leadership I sat down on the bench and let Sebastian instruct everyone to stay in certain areas while I braved myself up enough to scan the crowd.

The first place I looked was where I had last seen Dimitri and he was still there staring up at me with a look of complete shock on his face. There was something else there too that almost looked like hope and happiness but it was probably just wishful thinking on my behalf and I quickly looked away as I lost my nerve.

The next person I saw was Eddie and although he looked a little surprised to see me, he beamed up at me and I instantly felt a little better. Adrian soon came up behind him and I smiled at him too. I didn't realise quite how much I'd missed them until I was seeing them in the flesh.

As soon as Sebastian dismissed everyone I couldn't help myself and I jumped off the balcony and flew and my old friends, leaping up to hug Eddie who was closest.

"You have a lot of explaining to do about why you're here but you can tell me later because for now I'm just so glad to see you again," Eddie said with a laugh as he hugged me close.

I hugged Adrian next and then I stood back and stared at them with joy.

"I can't even explain how much I missed you both," I told them with tears in my eyes.

"Little Dhampir, you got even hotter over the years if that's possible," Adrian told me with a wink but I knew he was kidding.

"I can kick your ass even better now too," I replied and then winked back causing Eddie to snort.

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming!" Eddie demanded. "We would've gotten you a cake or something," he said with a smirk.

"I'm sorry Eddie it was super last minute and we hadn't talked in a couple weeks so I didn't have enough time."

"Wait you knew," a familiar voice suddenly chimed in and I turned around to look at Lissa. "You knew where she was the whole time and you never told me."

She gave a furious glare to the boys and I felt like I should say something but before I could there were tears running down her face and she stormed off never looking back.

The nightmare wasn't over yet however because when I turned around I was suddenly looking into the gorgeous eyes of Dimitri. I didn't know what to say or do or think and he just kept looking me over as if he was making sure I was really there.

"Roza," he breathed out in that accent I had missed so much. Even after 3 years, looking info his eyes I could feel the chemistry between us thicken the air around me and to be honest it really scared me. I used to be so sure of myself but now I would rather face down 1000 Strigoi then have my heart broken by this man again.

Thankfully my saving angel Matt suddenly called out "you coming Rose?"and I quickly replied "Yes."

"Sorry I have to go," I said in a rush to Dimitri and then I ran out of that room trying to resist the urge to look back but as I reached the door I glanced back at his face and the pain written on it shattered my heart into a million pieces.

I ran away and the second I reached my room I jumped into my bed and fell into what I knew what be a sleep filled with a sexy Russian god and all my problems.

 **Hey guys I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I'm definitely going to put some more Romitri scenes in the next chapter as well as an important one with Lissa and some little scenes with her squad so you can get to know them better. Please give me lots of feedback and let me know what you're hoping for me to do with this story xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, I just quickly want to say that I really appreciate the feedback I've gotten so far. I'm working really hard on trying to become a better writer so you guys have been a huge help. I also want to say that I'm going to try my best to write longer chapters, I'm just struggling to find the time between school and work at the moment x**

 **Rose POV**

"Ahh, Our sleeping Beauty has arrived," Dan's voice called out to me from their table. "Late as usual I see."

"And you're ugly as normal, what's new?" I grumbled. It was too early in the morning to think of a better response.

"Be mean to each other later," Macy chimed in, "We have a situation to deal with."

"Shit, yeah," I replied, "I mean the killer could literally be anyone."

"I don't think that was the situation she was referring to Shortstuff," Sebastian said smirking.

"What other situation is there," I demanded looking around the group.

"The hot Russian one," Leia replied with a small blush forming on her cheeks.

"That is not a situation," I said quickly, "We need to focus on the mission."

"Oh Please," Sebastian said chuckling, "You took one look into those beautiful eyes of his and practically fell apart."

"Well if he's so pretty then why don't you date him," I demanded hoping to turn the conversation on someone else, anyone else.

"Friends don't date friends exes," he replied solemly but I could tell he was resisting the urge to smirk.

"Besides if anyone can turn our scary, tough Rose into an emotional mess within 20 minutes of us being in this place, they deserve a real good ass kicking," a voice said and I turned around shocked to see the words had come from sweet, peaceful Matt. The rest of the group turned to Matt looking surprised as well but they all murmured their agreement.

"Guys Dimitri isn't a problem okay," I insisted, "Just let me deal with it, please."

My friends all exchanged looks but eventually conceded.

"Fine but if things go downhill we are going to have to have a little chat with this dude and you aren't going to be able to stop us," Dan said menacingly.

"Ok fine whatever," I sighed feeling relieved the conversation was over. "I've got to go hunt down some coffee, I'll see you guys later," I added with a smile. Their over protectiveness was annoying but I knew they were just looking out for me and I would've done the same thing if it was anyone one of them in my situation.

"I'd better come with you then my lady," Sebastian said holding out and arm to me, "Haven't you heard there is a serial killer on the loose? Young women should not be walking around without strong male protection."

Everyone else rolled their eyes at our antics but I just smirked and linked arms with him.

"How chivalrous of you Sebastian" I replied and with that we strolled out the door... and almost walked straight into Alberta and the 'Russian situation.'

"Rose how lovely to see you!" Alberta exclaimed giving a huge smile. I knew I had liked for a reason.

"You too Alberta," I said returning her smile before locking eyes with Dimitri. He looked as if he was about to say something but then he noticed our joint arms and I swear his eyes narrowed. I knew Sebastian had noticed it too because that's when he started playing games.

"My name is Agent Valdez but you can call me Sebastian," he said shaking their hands before grabbing my hand and pulling me close. "This little peanut and I were going for a coffee and donut run, do you have any suggestions?"

"Well there's this awesome place owned by a woman named Penny just a few minutes from here and then there's another good one next to the pools," Alberta informed him.

"Thankyou, you have no idea how helpful you've been. If there's one thing I have learnt from having Rose by my side for the past 3 years, it's that Rose is mean when she's hungry," Sebastian said with a laugh. I couldn't help the smirk that came onto my face but I resisted the urge to laugh for Dimitri's sake. He had his blank Guardian face on but I knew him well enough to see the scowl in his eyes.

"My pleasure," Alberta said smiling, "We have to go finish our shift but good luck with finding the killer and make sure you stay safe. It was nice meeting you Sebastian."

They started walking away and as soon as the were out of view I turned and faced Sebastian with a curious look in my eyes.

"Sebastian?"

"Yes my dear," he said with his usual smirk.

"Why did you want Dimitri to think we were dating?"

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," he replied and started walking away but I stopped him and gave him my best 'Don't you dare lie to me look.'

He shrugged and simply replied, "I wanted to make sure he knew what he pushed away."

I smiled up at him. "Sebastian you are going to make some lucky bloke, very happy in the future," I told him and then I couldn't help but add, "And I'm going to look smoking hot in my best man's suit."

He laughed. "Definitely, we're going to look flipping fabulous but for now I think all we need is donuts and some very strong coffee."

"You are too right Sebby," I replied as my stomach grumbled and with that we embarked on a coffee hunt.

 _3 hours later_

I rested my head on one my hands and tried my best not to fall asleep because of the extreme boredom that I felt. I had spent the past hour looking through all the Courts criminal records in the library to try and cross match anyone with a record with the people who were checked into court at the time of Tatianas murder. I hadn't expected to find anything but I had to start somewhere.

"Well you don't look like you're having any fun," a females voice rung out from behind me. I turned around and as I had suspected, Lissa stood before me looking anxious.

"Rose, can we talk?" she asked me, "Um in private?"

"Uh yeah sure," I replied feeling uncertain about what she wanted. I followed her out of the library and she eventually led me to what I could only assume was her bedroom. When we got through the door she went and sat on the edge and stared up at me nervously.

"I hate to be blunt but what do you want from me Lissa?" I asked and it came out harsher than I intended but to be honest I was still kind of hurt by what she had said the last time we had a proper conversation.

"Okay just let me get this all out please?" she asked and I nodded.

"The day that you left I said some really awful things that I didn't mean. I was mad at you and overly protective of Dimitri but you didn't deserve the things I said and I'm sorry for that. After Adrian told me you had left and weren't coming back I understood but I just wished you hadn't done it. I would've let you scream and throw things at me for days on end as long as you stayed and became my guardian after it all but I now see that leaving was the best thing for you. I always knew you were going to do amazing things but managing to become a DMPA agent is on a whole new level and I'm ridiculously proud of what you've achieved. Anyway all I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry and I hope one day you'll be willing to let me back into your life again because a Rose-less world is a pretty boring one."

I stood there in shock, not really knowing what to say. I was pretty certain she was going to scream at me or scold me for leaving so hearing her apologize suddenly reminded me of the huge amounts of good in her. I had all my new friends now but none of them were the Lissa that I had grown up with and loved so much.

"Lissa I always told you that there would always be a spot for you in my life and I meant it. My life has changed so much since we were last friends but you're my bond buddy and I don't know what I'd do without you."

She started crying and ran at me engulfing me in a huge hug and I laughed hugging her back.

"God I missed your hugs," she told me laughing now as well.

The rest of the day was spent catching up with Lissa. She helped me look through all the records and suddenly what was a daunting, boring task became fun. We didn't find anything anything helpful but we spent the time telling all the best stories about what had happened in the past few years.

When it started getting dark she walked me back to my room and I realised I felt lighter, more free. Fixing things with Lissa had lifted a weight off my chest and now I only had one big Russian one left. For the first time since I got here, things were looking up and I had hope that everything would work itself out for the better.

 _The Next Morning_

"Well don't make this too easy for me Rose," Sebastian taunted as we circled each other in the training ring

As Agents, Sebastian and I took training very seriously which is why we were up at the crack of dawn hoping to make good use of the gym before too many others wanted to use it.

I lunged at him in the hope of shutting him up and with a few skilled moves I managed to get him on the ground with his hand twisted behind his back.

"Oh please," I replied, "When have you ever found it easy to take me."

We fought for a few more minutes until I eventually managed to flip him onto his back and straddled him with my stake pointing at his heart.

"Dead."

He groaned and I let out a victory cheer before jumping up and swaying my hips along to the music playing in the background for a victory dance. My glee was shortly ruined however when I heard a sarcastic slow clap in the background. I turned around to see a small crowd had gathered to watch us fight and a massive, brute looking man was at the front glaring at me.

"Is there a problem?" I asked, my eyes narrowing.

"No of course not _Agent,"_ he said as if it was a dirty word, "Except for the fact that I don't like it when little girl bitches come swanning into court thinking they can tell me what to do."

Sebastian snarled and started heading towards the man but I grabbed his arm and told him sternly that I would handle it. We were here on a mission and if we started randomly picking fights with Dhampir, the people would stop doing what we asked.

"Look, no one wants to tell you what to do," I told the man, "We are just here to do what we have been trained to do so that no one else gets hurt and then we will be gone straight away."

"What you've been trained to do?" he said patronisingly, "Don't kid yourself. I could beat you in a fight without even breaking a sweat."

"Prove it then," I said innocently and I smiled as a look of surprise flitted across his face. "If you win, my friends and I will leave this place and you can do whatever the hell you want. If I win you will apologize for being a dickhead and accept us being in charge and tell all your friends to accept us too."

The man whose name I had figured out was Stefan suddenly looked unsure of himself and I knew I had to do something. I needed this fight to happen so that the Dhampir would listen to us and we could do what we came to do.

"Since I live on the wild side, I'll also give you a better shot," I informed him as he glared at me. "Same stakes but you can choose two people to fight with you."

His face lit up and I could tell he had no doubt he would win.

"Fine little girl, I accept your terms. Someone get me Mano and Belikov!"

Shit. I hadn't even considered the fact he could want Dimitri to help him. Things were already so strained between us that me kicking his ass probably wouldn't help things but there was no way I was loosing this fight.

I looked up as Dimitri and a big blonde dude walked over to Stefan.

"You asked for me?" Dimitri said as stared down Stefan.

"I know we don't get along but even I can admit that you're a good guardian so I've decided you can help me take down this pretentious child of a woman."

It was then that Dimitri looked over and his eyes widened as he realised it was me he was meant to fight.

"No," he told Stefan, "Not a chance."

"Wait hold on," I cut in, "You have too. The people here aren't going to accept our help until I win this fight and Stefan isn't willing to fight without you."

"Rose I'm not going to fight you," he said warily.

"Oh come on Dimitri it'll be just like training at St Vladimirs and if you can beat me then I'll let you finish that conversation you wanted to have with me in the courtroom 2 days ago."

I could see him considering in his head and eventually he nodded in consent. Stefan sent me a smirk and said, "Its settled then. I hope you won't be too sad when you have to pack your bags."

"Just shut up and grab a practise stake," I snarled before heading to the practise ring.

Before long I was standing at one edge of the ring facing Dimitri, Stefan and the blonde guy whose name was Dylan.

Stefan and Dylan were scowling at me but Dimitri just looked determined. As far as I was aware, no one had told him what they stakes were so he probably just thought that this was a training exercise and I knew he wouldn't go easy on me. When he had been my trainer he had fought as hard as he could against me because he always believed it would make me tougher and stronger in the long run even if it meant I lost epically at first. I was glad he didn't know the stakes because I knew he would disapprove of me putting such a risk into this fight and I also knew he wouldn't be willing to help someone kick me out of court.

To the side of me stood Sebastian who was going to be the judge of this match. Most people would've been mad that I was gambling such a big thing in a fight but Sebastian had gone through the same agent training as me. He knew I could win.

"Okay everyone, let's fight a fair fight. If someone 'stakes' you then that means you're out and you can't attack anyone from that point on," Sebastian said sternly.

"The fight commences now."

Stefan and Dylan instantly started rushing towards me but I held my ground. They didn't have the same level as training as me but I had 3 of them to keep an eye on and I couldn't let myself be caught unaware.

Stefan lunged at me first while Dylan started edging around, waiting for an opening to take me from behind. Stefan swung a punch at my face and I gracefully dodged before shoving my knee in his stomach and kicking his feet out from under him. It would've been a good opportunity to stake him but Dylan chose that moment to attack and I spun around to face him, and grabbed the back of his head to pull it down as my knee went up towards it. I heard a loud crack but I didn't have a chance to check for damage as I heard footsteps behind me. Dimitri had joined the fray. He had taught me all my basic moves so I knew I had to pull some Agent moves he wouldn't expect.

I flipped backwards to the side of him bringing my elbow down on the back of his neck on my way down. It was a move I knew would cause him a lot of pain but I couldn't afford to lose this fight. He fell forward only just managing to stop himself from face planting the ground before he jumped back up looking at me in shock. By this point Stefan had joined the fray again and they both ran at me, Dimitri with the goal of restraining me so that Stefan could complete his goal which was apparently to stake me. Dimitri reached me first and I quickly spun around, roundhouse kicking him the face so hard I knew he would have a black eye tomorrow. I spun back around just in time to grab Stefan's wrist as his stake headed for my heart. He tried to keep pushing the stake closer but I twisted his wrist so hard he dropped the stake and I swiftly kicked it away. He then tried to throw a punch at me but I blocked it with my forearm and punched him in the throat before flipping him onto his back. I kneeled on his arms and quickly staked him before he had the chance to fight back. 1 down 2 to go.

I jumped back up and looked to see where my other opponents were. Dimitri was to my left and Dylan was to my right with a broken nose as I had assumed he would have. He had blood all over his face and if looks could kill, I would've died a thousand deaths just then. His rage made him reckless though and when he blindly charged at me I didn't have much trouble spinning him around and jumping on his back. I reached my arms around him and used both hands to 'stake' him. 2 down 1 to go. Dylan looked tempted to throw a punch at me but Sebastian and the gathered crowd would've stopped the fight and named me the winner if he had cheated and I could tell he still hoped Dimitri would win.

Facing down my final opponent I had a sense of deja vu. All those sweaty hours in the gym before school, wishing I knew what he thinking, just trying to do the best we could. Not much had changed. Even though we were fighting, the second I looked into his eyes I felt sparks fly and I knew that this feeling was the reason I had never been able to fully get over him while I was away.

Sebastian's voice cheering me on in the background brought me back to reality. I was here for the mission, I was fighting for the mission and I couldn't get distracted by thoughts of Dimitri. Now that he was the only one left for me to fight I decided that it was time for me to stop defending and go on the offensive.

I launched myself at him and suddenly we were fighting just like we used to at St Vladimirs. It was a blur of attacks and blocks as we both tried to get our stakes towards the others heart. He managed to kick me backwards at one point and suddenly I was reminded just how good Dimitri was but I was better than I used to be.

I stalked towards him trying to figure out what his next move would be but he was always so hard to read in a fight. I lunged at him and when he swiped his stake at me I ducked before doing a forward roll and kicking behind his knee which caused him to drop onto it. I stood up and pushed him over before quickly straddling him and driving the stake towards his heart.

"Dead," I announced before looking down at Dimitri. He was staring up at me all bloody and bruised but he had a hint of a smile on his face.

"Are you alright?" I asked feeling a little worried as I saw the amount of damage I'd done.

"I'm fine Roza," he replied, "I'm a fast healer which you well know. It's not the first time you've managed to do me some damage in a fight."

He was right. I remembered the first time I'd managed to punch him hard in a fight I had been so worried about the fact that I'd just hurt my trainer that I hadn't noticed how close we had been standing until I saw him shiver when I brushed my fingers over the slight swelling. I had wanted to kiss him so badly and I was pretty certain he wanted it too but we couldn't. It was against the rules.

I suddenly realised I was thinking of a time of unresolved sexual tension while straddling Dimitri and I quickly got off him, a slight blush travelling to my cheeks.

I sat there on the floor regaining my breath when I sensed someone coming up behind me and turned to see Stefan.

"Are you here to scold me for being a misbehaving little girl who beat up 3 grown men?" I asked pouting at him. He clenched his fists and I swear he was debating whether to throttle me but eventually he stared at the ground, told me he was sorry and then stalked away.

Sebastian came over to me next and gave me a high five.

"I never had any doubt you would win but that didn't stop it from being super satisfying when Stefan's group of self proclaimed 'agent-haters' all came up and apologized for doubting us and trying to cause trouble." Sebastian told me with a smile.

"Do you think that victory is good enough for you to shout me donuts for breakfasts?" I asked looking up at him imploringly with my fingers crossed.

"Ooh I dunno," Sebastian replied with a smirk. "You've got some scary street cred with the people of this court now they've seen what you can do with 3 of their best guardians and I don't want them to get the wrong impression of me by hanging out with you."

It was safe to say I was not amused.

"Sebastian Valdez do not even think about making jokes to do with donuts ever again or I will chop off your balls, stew him together and put them inside you're next 'Jam surprise' donut.

Sebastian rolled his eyes at me but I heard a quiet chuckle in the background and turned to see Dimitri staring at me.

"You're about 5 times better at fighting but you're still the same old Rose you've always been."

"Thanks Comrade."

 **Hey guys I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The fight scene was a lot longer than I intended it to be but I really wanted to show just how much stronger Rose is and also how much she's grown. I meant to have more Rose and Dimitri but because I didn't fit it in this chapter, I promise the next chapter is going to have a lot more humour and romance in it. Please keep leaving feedback because I really appreciate it and I love reading your reviews xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guy I just wanted to let you know that my stories will likely have have a few mistakes and typos in it because I'm usually having to rush write these chapters at midnight after work and I apologize for that. I also wanted to point out that I'm not American and my country has some super weird slang that I might accidently use.**

 _ **Rose POV**_

"So I heard you kicked some guardian ass this morning," Lissa said as she joined me for lunch.

"Yeah it had to be done but that didn't make it any less satisfying to knock that jackass Stefan to the ground," I replied smiling at the memory.

Lissa shook her head at me but I could see the smirk trying to make it's way onto her face.

"Anyway the reason I came to talk to you is because I was hoping we could hang out more and maybe you could bring your friends?" she asked. "I know you guys are really busy with the murder case and everything but I was hoping you could come down to the pool this afternoon so I can get to know your friends and be a part of your world."

"Omg Lissa that's an amazing idea!" I squealed. "I love the pools here, I missed them so much."

I quickly hopped up and started dragging her out of the cafeteria. It didn't take long for me to track down the members of my squad and beg them to come.

10 minutes later Lissa, Leia, Macy, Sebastian and I were all swim-suited up and headed for the pools. Matt and Dan had a lead they had to follow up this afternoon but they promised to join Lissa and I for dinner later.

When we got to the pools the first thing I saw was Christian, and to my surprise, Dimitri. I was confused for a split second but then I realized that Dimitri must be Christian's guardian. I watched his eyes as they traced the curves of my body in my bikini but as they reached my eyes I quickly looked away and turned my attention to Christian.

"Hey sparky, long time no see," I said giving him a huge smile. Christian and I had always acted like we hated each other but I saw him as a brother and I had been disappointed that I hadn't seen him since I'd arrived here.

"It has been a long time, I've certainly made the most of not having to deal with your snarky comments every day," he replied causing me to glare at him but then he did something unexpected. He came over and hugged me and said "I'm glad you're okay Rose."

"You too Sparky," I said hugging him back.

At that moment Sebastian came up behind me and grabbed my waist, lifting me off the ground. I spared a glance at Dimitri and could tell he was fuming. I didn't have to time to dwell on it, however, because to my complete outrage Sebastian walked sideways and threw me into the pool.

"You piece of shit!" I screamed as I emerged from the water and saw him crouching at the edge laughing his head off at me.

"Help me out," I grumbled at him extending my hand. He started to hoist me out but I suddenly got a wicked grin on my face and his eyes flashed in alarm before I pulled him in head first.

Everyone laughed (except Dimitri) as he came up for air scowling at me and the girls all started climbing down the pool steps to join us. Leia and Lissa sat in the shallow end and started chatting which didn't surprise me as I always thought they would get along well.

Macy, on the other hand, had other plans and snuck up behind the unsuspecting Sebastian before dunking him underwater again.

It wasn't long before chaos ensued and an epic water fight broke out. I spared a few glances at Dimitri throughout the fight and although his face remained in a scowl, I caught him staring at me on multiple occasions. I decided he needed to lighten up and swam over to the edge.

"Dimitri can you pass me a towel?" I asked and although he looked surprised at me talking to him, his face softened and he obliged. He reached the towel out to me but instead of taking the towel, I grabbed his wrist and pulled him in, guardian clothes and all.

"Wooooo," I cheered, "Two in a row, you guys are far too gullible."

"Rose!" Dimitri scolded but I could see the amusement in his eyes. It wasn't long before we had managed to get him involved in the water fight too and I couldn't have been happier. It was rare when Dimitri showed his playful side but it was a blessing when he did.

After a while I needed a rest and I swam over to the edge of the pool to watch them. Dimitri saw my exit and came to sit beside me giving me a small smile.

"You look just like your mother when you smile," I said softly.

A puzzled look crossed his face. "How do you know my mother?"

"I stayed with her in Russia when I was looking for you and then about a year ago she helped me out when I was injured on a mission in a nearby town."

"I didn't - She never said," Dimitri said looking shocked.

"I asked her not to," I said simply and looked back out across the pool.

There was a few minutes of silence before Dimitri broke it again.

"Rose I'm so sorry for everything I did in Russia and everything that happened after. I thought that if I stayed away it would stop me from hurting you anymore than I already had but it did the opposite. When I found out you were gone I was lost. I spent months searching for you but I guess you being at a secret organization explains why I never found you. I spent years never knowing if you were alive or dead and it was killing me inside. I didn't think I would ever get the chance to apologize which is why I had to tell you this now while I have the chance. I love you and I'm sorry and I hope one day you will be able to forgive me."

As I stared into his eyes I saw his pain and his guilt and his hope and I knew he was being honest. I felt so much love for this man but I was also so scared of getting my heart ripped out.

"Dimitri I - ," And that's when I heard the scream.

As Agents we were trained to have lightning quick responses which is why we had our clothes chucked on, weapons in our hands and were out the door before Dimitri, Christian and Lissa were out of the pool. I sprinted down a hallway with Macy on my tail while Sebastian and Leia ran down another one as we tried to find the source of the noise.

I turned sharply round a corner and that's when I saw the woman lying on the ground hugging herself.

"Are you okay?" I yelled running towards her.

She didn't reply and when I crouched beside her she beckoned for me to put my ear near her mouth.

"You will never catch the killer. You're next."

And then before I had a chance to react she had opened a canister and was gassing us both.

*

The main thing I felt as I woke up was my strong sense of nausea and killer headache. I could tell I was in the hospital by the comfy bed and the strong smell of sanitizer but I didn't have the energy to open my eyes. I listened in and heard grim voices around me.

"They're calling it attempted murder but no one knows whether it was a direct attempt on Rose's life or on the agency in general."

"I can't believe that woman escaped. She had just been gassed with Sarin so someone must've helped her."

"Could it have been the same person who murdered Tatiana?"

"Maybe this isn't connected to the Queens murder at all"

"It is," I said groggily while forcing my eyes to open. I looked around and found my whole squad standing around me. "The lady told me that I would never find the killer and that I was next."

"Never mind that," Matt said rushing to grab my hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," I said but I gave him a reassuring smile. "What the hell happened?"

"We think it was a set up," Sebastian said as he came to put his hand on my other arm. "We are guessing the lady screamed because she knew you would come running to help which gave her the opportunity to gas you both with a poisonous substance called Sarin."

"You blacked out after a few seconds and then when I got to you, you started seizuring," Macy said from her seat at the foot of my bed. "It was pretty fricking scary so I'm glad you're okay."

"When we got you to the doctor we were worried you were just about dead but he said we got you to him just in time and gave you a drug called atropine." Leia chimed in bringing me a glass of water. "Now I think of it, someone should probably go tell Lissa and Belikov she's alright before he hits one of the doctors."

"Dimitri's here?" I asked

"Yeah he's outside with Lissa and Christian," Sebastian said smirking. "You should've seen his face when the doctor said that you had reached your 'visitor limit' and he couldn't come in and make sure you were okay."

I smiled at that but suddenly my nausea reached new heights and I quickly grabbed the bucket the doctor must've left for me and let it rip. Macy being the experienced girl of the group quickly leapt up and held my hair back.

"This is a good thing girl," she said rubbing my back with her free hand. "Just let it out because then there's a better chance the poison is out of your system."

"Tomorrow morning we are going to leave court and try hunt down the woman who did this to you but Matt will stay behind to keep an eye on court and on you." Sebastian informed me.

"I want to come with you guys," I told him.

"Not a chance," he said laughing in disbelief.

"The poison takes 24 hours to leave your system. I'm not going to help you hunt down a murderer while you're weak and sick."

"This person killed 12 guards. It's too risky for only four of you to go."

"Rose we'll be fine. If we find the killer and don't think we can handle him then we will call for backup," Sebastian reassured me.

"Pinky promise?" I asked.

"I thought you were trying to prove you aren't a little girl," Sebastian replied smirking.

I gave him my best 'don't mess with me' look and eventually he sighed and grabbed my pinky.

"Fine, I pinky promise," he agreed.

"Good boy," I said in a patronising voice while patting his head before yawning. "Now as much as I love talking to you all I'm going back to sleep because I feel like I got hit by a train."

*

I had no idea what time it was when I woke up but it felt like it was around 2 in the morning. I looked around my room and smiled when I saw Dimitri asleep on the chair beside my bed, his face slightly lit up by the light in the hallway.

I took the opportunity to study him and was saddened to see that even while asleep, his face was etched in worry. Had I done that to him? He was still gorgeous though and it reminded me of how much I missed how things used to be.

I missed how Dimitri and I were before I went away and before he turned Strigoi. We had to hide our love for each other but we were happy and we had each other.

My happy trip down memory lane was ruined when the nausea resurfaced and I had to grab my bucket again. Dimitri being the always prepared guardian that he was, instantly awoke and pulled my hair from my face. I emptied my guts before collapsing back on my pillow.

"Thanks comrade," I murmured.

"Oh Roza," I heard him reply as he pulled the last few strands of my hair away before I drifted back to sleep.

 **Hey guys as always please leave lots of reviews because I need all the feedback I can get so I know if you guys are enjoying the direction my story is going. Thanks for all the help so far xx**


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